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Celtic's Kieran Tierney says he is ready to captain Scotland on a permanent basis

By Sky Sports News

Last Updated: 13/04/18 8:33pm

Celtic's Kieran Tierney says he is ready to captain Scotland on a permanent basis, and also paid tribute to former skipper Scott Brown

Celtic's Kieran Tierney says he is ready to captain Scotland on a permanent basis, and also paid tribute to former skipper Scott Brown

Kieran Tierney says he is ready to become Scotland's next captain following Scott Brown's international retirement.

Brown retired for the second time last year and manager Alex McLeish is yet to name a permanent successor to the 32-year-old.

Tierney captained his country in their friendly against the Netherlands in November, while Charlie Mulgrew took the armband for friendlies against Costa Rica and Hungary in March.

When asked if he would say he is ready to captain his country regularly, Tierney replied: "I think myself, yes I would. But it's not up to me at all. It's up to the manager and his staff and whatever they think.

"I'm still a young boy - I'm 20-years-old. But I'm ready for any challenge."

Brown is still the captain at Celtic, and Tierney believes there is no better man to learn from should he succeed him as skipper of the Hoops.

Tierney captained Scotland against the Netherlands in November

He said: "I think he (Brown) has said in one of his interviews he can see that happening. I'm obviously not going to say that, but just to captain the games I have has been a great honour.

"I'm just going to work hard and see where it takes me.

"He's a leader on every occasion. No matter what the game is, he'll give 100 per cent. He's Captain Fantastic, and for me - coming in as a young boy - there's no better role model.

"I think he's one of the most iconic captains this club's had and just to be here at the same time as him is an honour for me."

Scott Brown is the perfect 'role model', says Tierney

Scotland's next fixtures come at the end of the season and, in the meantime, Tierney is focused on helping Celtic to an unprecedented second consecutive treble.

The Scottish Premiership leaders take on Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-finals on Sunday - live on Sky Sports - looking to take a step closer to the achievement.

However, Tierney said: "It will be very hard to do, we're under no illusions. It's never been done before and that shows you how hard it is.

"We are close to it but we're not thinking about doing it yet. We're just taking it one day at a time."